There are also a few factors to bear in mind, such as the
company's varying business models.

Banks such as Wells Fargo, Bank of America, JPMorgan, and Citi
appear to have much larger female workforces than Goldman Sachs
or Morgan Stanley. But that could be because those banks have
large retail banking wings, which could be more likely to be
staffed with women.

Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are traditional investment banks
and do not have brick-and-mortar branches, in contrast.

The female-dominated "other" category includes technicians, sales
workers, administrative support, craft workers, and operatives,
according to Citi and Wells Fargo, the only banks we looked at
that broke out that category.

They're trying, though

The banks' failure to recruit a more diverse workforce is not for
lack of trying.

Citigroup, for example, keeps track of diversity at the
senior level with a scorecard, according to its
annual diversity report. It also has two women's leadership
training programs targeted at female managing directors and
directors.

Goldman holds diversity events to showcase role models and
promote networking, and it requires each employee to complete
two hours of diversity and inclusion training, via online
workshops, each year. It also has a "Returnship" program to
help women and others who've left the workforce return.

At Wells Fargo, a representative said, "One of our core
values is our commitment to diversity and inclusion — a business
imperative that will continue to be a major area of focus at
Wells Fargo."

JPMorgan, too, has a reentry program for women, as well as
employee networks for minorities and a female-focused
program called
Women on the Move. A representative said there was a
concerted effort to recruit senior-level women and minorities
across the firm.

Human-resources staff Business Insider spoke to say one challenge
in recruiting for diversity at banks is that few women or
nonwhite candidates apply.

Even the new recruits themselves get the sense that diversity is
a major priority. One Bank of America intern told us that she and
other female friends interning at investment banks felt they were
hired largely because they were women.

She described one friend who "literally didn't do anything"
beyond filling out a last-minute online application form for an
internship.

"She had no finance experience, didn't even think about
recruiting, knew no alumni, and got in," the intern told us. "I'm
sure if it was a white male who did the same thing, there's no
way he would have had the same luck that she did."

Regardless of whether that's the case, the banks appear to be
making an effort to change.